Save me from myself
by IcedLady
Summary: Two years ago, something terrible happened to the Kurosaki family and Tsubaki is still haunted by it. Her brother Kyoya wants to protect her and save her from past nightmares, and soon he realizes that there is someone else who wants to protect his sister. Will he hand Tsubaki over to Yuuzan or will he push the elder Yoshida away? Rated T for safety. YuuzanOC
1. Introducing Tsubaki and Kyoya

**Author's note: Hi everyone! This is a new story that I'm writing for Tonari No Kaibutsu-Kun (My Little Monster). It's going to be a rather short story, but it depends on how fast or slow is the progress made in the relationship between Yuuzan and Tsubaki. Anyway, read on! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **Tonari No Kaibutsu-Kun but the Kurosaki family belongs to me. 

* * *

**Chapter 1: _Introducing Tsubaki and Kyoya. _**

**'RIIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG-' **

A hand shot out from under the covers and it hit the alarm clock with such force that the device flew across the room and crashed against the opposite wall. A groan came from the person responsible and they shifted to a more comfortable position on the bed and they stayed still, relishing those precious moments of sleeping peacefully. Well, that was until the door flew open and a person took the blankets away from the still sleeping one.

"Nee-chan, wake up or we'll be late for school!" yelled a 16 years old boy as he shook the girl who was curled into a ball on the messy bed sheets.

"Five more minutes", mumbled his sister with her eyes still closed.

Kurosaki Kyoya sighed when he noticed the destroyed alarm clock on the floor. "You damaged another alarm clock again", he scolded and he shook the girl more violently.

Icy blue eyes opened in a glare which was directed at him. "It disturbed my sleep. That's why I destroyed it", she answered darkly.

Kyoya scoffed and hit her lightly on the head. "An alarm clock is supposed to wake you up, not help you sleep better, idiot", he said. "Now get up. It's already quarter past eight. You have only five minutes to get ready or I'm leaving without you"".

Kurosaki Tsubaki shot up from the bed. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!" she shouted and kicked the younger boy out of her room. She got dressed in record time, stuffed her books and copybooks in her bag, grabbed a hairband and bolted out of the room. Kyoya was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs with a rolled pancake in hand and his bag in the other. She snatched the food out of his hands and the two of them left for school.

Tsubaki was a second year student at Syoyo High while Kyoya had joined the school this year. The older Kurosaki led the way as she pulled her younger brother by his hand, running on the way.

'Great. My first day at Syoyo High and I'm going to be late', thought Kyoya with a shake of his head.

The Kurosaki siblings made it just as the bell rang.

Tsubaki patted Kyoya on the shoulder. "Good luck, Kyoya. Do well on your first day and for the rest of the year you can go crazy", she told him with a good-for-nothing smile.

The blond boy rolled his eyes at his sister. "Is this the advice a sister gives his brother on his first day at a new school?"

Tsubaki did not bother to answer his question and she motioned for him to go on while waving her hand. "See you later!" she called out as he got further away. Kyoya only raised his hand without turning to face her and he disappeared round the corner.

The smile on the 17 years old girl's face faded into an emotionless expression and she headed to her classroom silently. She slid open the door and entered the room. Since there was no teacher, Tsubaki deduced that they had a free period. She headed to the only empty seat which was in the third to last row next to the window, and she sat down, turning to the view she had of the city.

"She's still the same emotionless person like last year".

"She's still not over it yet?"

"Well, what happened two years ago was really upsetting. Of course she'll still be sad".

Tsubaki ignored the hushed comments around her and she kept staring out of the window, lost in her thoughts.

She hated how people pitied her because of the terrible thing that happened two years ago. Both her parents died on that day and she was the only witness of their deaths. Apart from the psychologist and the police, no one else knew what happened and so, people began making up their own theories. It was frustrating and scary how they kept approaching her to get information out of her.

This was the reason why she did not like going to places where people knew her. However, many people recognized her wherever she was due to her bright red hair. It was like a neon sign saying 'Hey, I'm the girl who came out alive when my parents were murdered in front of my eyes. Remember? The Kurosaki story!' And this was why she absolutely hated her hair color. Tsubaki once went to get her hair dyed but Kyoya had stopped her, saying that her hair had the most beautiful and unique shade of red and that she should not hide it under artificial colors.

At times, people were not sure if it was really her (come on, she's not the only redhead in the whole of Japan!). What confirmed her identity was the fingerless black glove she wore only on her left hand. It went slightly below her wrist and there was a metal plate at the back of her hand. No one knew what she was hiding under the glove since she never took it off in public.

Tsubaki lowered her gaze to the glove as she closed her hand in a tight fist.

'I could go for a surgery', she thought. 'But this is the only thing that ties me to that night and I don't want to let go of it. It's like a link to the last memory of Okaa-san and Otou-san'.

Ever since the loss of her parents, Tsubaki lived with Kyoya, her only relative left. The two of them managed to look after themselves and a social worker usually dropped by from time to time to check on them and give them their allowances. The money they got was not enough for both the house and their personal needs. It was then that Tsubaki got a part-time job at a café to bring in more money.

'God knows how we managed everything by ourselves'.

Tsubaki broke out of her thoughts when the teacher came in and class started. The rest of the day went by peacefully, with no fights whatsoever.

The red haired Kurosaki waited for Kyoya at the front gates and a small smile appeared on her face when the boy came out with a large grin.

"Looks like someone had a good day", she told him with a laugh. A few students around them had their jaws dropped opened when they heard the laugh. According to everyone, Kurosaki Tsubaki NEVER laughed, much less smiled!

"I made a lot of friends and some girls already approached me", replied Kyoya still smiling. "They all said that my best features are my eyes and my hair".

As they walked, Tsubaki turned to look at her brother. His eye color was the same icy blue like hers but his held a lot of warmth in them, compared to hers. His bright blond hair was slightly wavy and it was longer at the back. Most of the time, Kyoya had the longer part of his hair in a short and low ponytail while the top part and his bangs were messy.

"Well, my brother is handsome. It's normal if girls would try getting closer to him", she complimented.

Kyoya eyed her carefully. "You complimenting me means that you want something", he said.

The answer he got was a hit on the back of his head with a bag. And then, "Just take the compliment, blondie! I'm being nice for once!"

The younger sibling laughed at the older girl who now had a frown. "Now that's my sister! The violent girl that I know and the one known as Kurosaki Hurricane", he teased.

Tsubaki growled at the nickname that she had earned in middle school. "Why you little..!"

And they chased each other all the way back home.

* * *

**Author's note: First chapter done! This was only to introduce Tsubaki and Kyoya. Next chapter, Shizuku, Haru and everyone else will appear. Well, not everyone. Until then, can you guys please review and tell me what you think of this intro? Thank you! **

**For those who read my other stories, I'm sorry that I have not updated at all for Demon of the Wind. I kind of forgot what happened in Katekyo Hitman Reborn and I have to watch it again before being able to write the next chapters. So, it's currently on hold. Thank you. **

**~IcedLady~**


	2. A strange bond

**Author's note: Here is the next chapter of Save me from myself. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tonari No Kaibutsu-Kun, only the Kurosaki family.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2: _A strange bond. _**

The first few months at school were uneventful. Tsubaki wondered why she bothered going when she knew that she would be bored to death there. The source of her entertainment was suspended from school and even after the punishment had been lifted he did not come back.

Yes, Yoshida Haru was the one who entertained her. Not in that way, mind you. It was his fights that always drew Tsubaki's attention and as an observer, she saw that Haru was some kind of a guarded person. He took no nonsense from others and they were usually beaten to a pulp. In spite of his violent nature, Tsubaki was rather fond of the boy. He was good-looking and looked cute when he was not busy glaring at everything. On top of that, he was a genius. The red haired girl could never understand how he always had the best grades when he skipped most classes, while her, she rarely skipped school and her grades were always average. She normally ranked something around 15th in class and that was her best scores.

"Nee-chan, get up!" Kyoya called from outside her room. "For once, can we get to school before the bell?"

Tsubaki groaned and rolled out of the warm and comfortable bed. "Yeah, yeah", she said loud enough for him to hear. "Give me twenty minutes".

As she got dressed, Kyoya went in the kitchen to prepare Tsubaki's breakfast. As usual, he was the one in charge of making breakfast and preparing their lunch boxes. Tsubaki took care of dinner at night after her shift at the café. Similarly, for household chores, they shared the work. He was in charge of cleaning downstairs while Tsubaki handled everything upstairs.

The elder Kurosaki entered the kitchen humming a tuneless song. She drank a cup of tea and sat at the table eating her pancakes.

Kyoya stared at her glove deep in thought. He knew why she covered her hand and when he had recommended a surgery for it, Tsubaki had refused. Why she would not let go, he could not understand. He was not present when his parents were killed at the beach house. He was staying at a friend's place and it was on the next day that he was informed of the tragedy. He knew that Tsubaki was putting up a front whenever he was present when in fact she was not the same girl that he knew from childhood, but he never confronted her about it.

"Come on, let's go", said Tsubaki and the two of them left for school. There was till some time left before the bell rang and as soon as they entered the school grounds, Kyoya was swarmed by girls from his year.

"Ah, Kyo-kun! Good morning".

"Kyo-kun, would you please accompany me to the library after school? I was hoping that you could advise me on what book to borrow for my assignment".

"Kyo-kun, here. I made some snacks for you. This is the first time I cooked for a boy so please, accept it!"

"Kyo-kun, thank you for helping me write my report the other day. I scored full marks for it. How about I treat you to dinner tonight as thanks?"

Tsubaki was amazed. Her baby brother was definitely a lady's man. When did he grow up so fast, she did not know. She pushed him towards the girls and said, "Go enjoy yourself today. Spend some time with your friends but don't get home too late".

"Yeah, sure. Thank you, Nee-chan!" he replied and headed to class with the girls following him.

Tsubaki went to her own class and soon the boring day started. However, it was not as boring as the previous days when Ninomiya Saeko approached her with a task at hand. Tsubaki was to accompany Mizutani Shizuku to convince Yoshida Haru to come back to school. She immediately accepted.

Well, now at least there would be some entertainment in her school life.

After school, the two girls left together for a batting center where apparently Haru spent his time.

"Excuse me", said the brown haired girl. "I'm Mizutani. Is Yoshida-kun here?"

The man behind the counter shifted his gaze from the magazine in his hands to the two high school students and he held his cigarette between his fingers. His raven colored hair was drawn backwards and was it spiky in some places. He also wore black ray bans.

"I'm Kurosaki Tsubaki", the redhead introduced when he looked at her questioningly and then looked back at Shizuku.

"Haru? He's -"

He stopped mid-sentence when a man was sent flying across the room. They turned and saw Haru standing there with his famous glare.

"It's your fault that Marco died!" he yelled at the injured man.

'Who the hell is Marco?' Tsubaki thought worriedly and she glanced at Shizuku who was rather blue in the face.

"Haru! I told you to control yourself in here", the owner of the place scolded.

"But Mi-chan, he -"

"You can't blame Marco's death on anyone", Mi-chan said.

When Tsubaki looked behind Haru, she facepalmed. Marco was only a character in a game and he 'died'.

"Anyway, you have two guests", the older man continued.

Haru turned his grey eyes to the girls and he wasted no time before running at a window and jumping out of it.

Tsubaki sighed and turned to the other girl. "You know what? He's too much for me. You'll do better by yourself, Shizuku-chan. I'm out of here", she told her and then to the man, "Good day, Mister", and she strolled out of the building at a lazy pace, heading to her part-time job.

A few days later, Saeko-sensei approached Shizuku again.

"Mizutani-san, did you ask him to come to school again?" the older woman questioned.

"No", Shizuku replied.

"I see", said Saeko-sensei worriedly. "The way things are going, I'm afraid the he's going to be expelled".

And so, Shizuku headed to the batting center after school hours. She sneaked a glance behind her at the red haired Kurosaki.

_'Why is she following me? Did Saeko-sensei approach her too?' _

"Welcome", greeted the Mi-chan. "If you're looking for Haru, he's not here".

Shizuku was caught off-guard by what he said and she turned her head to the side. "Oh, um... Can you tell Yoshida-kun that he'll be expelled if he keeps skipping school?"

A silence followed and the school girl turned around to leave but she was stopped.

"Want a go at it?"

And the next thing she knew, Shizuku found herself inside a batting cage with a bat in hand. Tsubaki stayed with the man, leaning her back against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Don't you want to try it?" Mi-chan asked, referring to the game.

The blue-eyed girl shook her head and answered, "I suck at batting. The ball could hit me right in the face and I wouldn't even bat an eyelash. I'm not good at most games. Anyway, what's your name? You did not introduce yourself last time I was here".

"My name is Misawa Mitsuyoshi", he said with a crooked smile.

Four boys entered the room and they greeted Mitsuyoshi before two of the turned to Tsubaki. Both had light brown hair and one was wearing a baseball cap. The one with the cap wore a purple jacket and the other one wore an orange jacket.

"Oooh, who's the pretty girl?" the one wearing the cap asked with a sly smile.

Tsubaki immediately narrowed her icy blue eyes in a sharp glare which was directed at them.

"The pretty girl will wipe that damn look on your face with your own blood if you keep staring at her", she replied darkly.

The two of them backed away from her. "She reminds me so much of Haru", one of them said to his group. Haru's name caught Tsubaki's attention and she closed her eyes, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Man, what's up with Haru? He stopped giving me money"

"Does it matter? It's not like you're broke or anything"

"But it's lame. No point in bothering with him anymore"

"The dog was kidnapped!"

"Seriously? The collar should have told him that it wasn't a stray"

They started laughing and Tsubaki could not stop a low growl from building up deep in her throat. She opened her eyes and they widened when Shizuku appeared to confront them. There was a weird expression on her face, as if she wanted to yell at them but did not want to get in trouble.

The four boys turned their attention to the brown haired girl.

"Yo-Yoshida-kun thinks that you guys are his friends. So, if you consider him a friend, you should be honest with him!" she told them in a hesitating tone.

Mitsuyoshi was watching the exchange with a serious expression and Tsubaki took a few steps towards Shizuku went the guy with the cap stood up and walked towards her. Shizuku closed her eyes and lowered her head, feeling rather scared of the situation.

Tsubaki was about to get closer to Shizuku but the guy wearing orange stood directly in front of her, stopping her from going any further. The low growl grew louder and the guy only smirked at her.

"Ha-Haru?"

Blue eyes snapped to where Haru was. He was standing next to Shizuku and took hold of the capped guy by his collar, lifting him off the floor effortlessly.

"You guys should leave", Haru said in a bored voice. Shizuku stared at him with a shocked expression.

In the end, the two groups were separated with no fights and Shizuku, Haru and Tsubaki walked out of there together.

"I'll see you guys later", Tsubaki said before crossing the road to head towards the café.

"Goodbye, Tsubaki", said Shizuku with a serious look.

"See you, Red Hurricane!" Haru piped up, waving madly.

Tsubaki shot him a glare which made Shizuku flinch but Haru laughed it off.

The red haired girl walked to the café which was quite near and she entered through the backdoor to get to the maids' quarters. As she changed into her uniform, a thought struck her. Why was she about to defend Shizuku when that capped guy approached her? Normally Tsubaki would have ignored it and get on with her own business but at that time, she was ready to fight those guys.

She shook her head, tied her long hair in a messy bun, plastered a smile to her face and headed out to the customers.

_'It doesn't matter. Perhaps I'll allow that strange bond to develop and we'll see where it leads me'._

* * *

**Author's note: Second chapter down! Anyway, Yuuzan will not make his entry until the fourth or fifth chapter. I still have to get Natsume and Sasahara in the story first! Another thing, I may update the chapters quickly for the next few days since I'll be free until next week. So, reviews will be much appreciated. Thank you. **

**~IcedLady~**


	3. Haru is back!

**Author's note: Third chapter of Save me from myself is up. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tonari No Kaibutsu-Kun, only the Kurosaki family.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3: _Haru is back! _**

**-One month later-**

_Tsubaki watched horrified as her father was attacked by two men. They slashed at him with knives but her father would not go down. _

_'Otou-san', she whispered fearfully. Her mother jumped in the way when a third man headed towards her. In the fight, her red haired mother managed to push her out of the way. _

_'Darling, run!' she shouted and dodged a dangerous blow aiming for her head. _

_However, the young girl was rooted to the spot, unable to move. 'Okaa-san!' she cried as tears began to rush down her face. _

_'TSUBAKI, RUN!' her mother shouted again. With new found strength, the blue-eyed girl took a few steps back before breaking into a run towards the kitchen to get out from the backdoor. When she opened the door, she screamed at the sight of a fourth man. The latter wasted no time and he held the girl by her long red hair, pushing her back in the living room where her parents were still fighting. against the other three men. _

_The man forced her down on her knees while keeping a tight grip on her hair and he roughly turned her around for her to look towards the horrific scene. _

_'You'll watch your parents die and then we'll kill you in the same way', said the man with a laugh. _

_Tsubaki gave a piercing scream when one of the man knifed her mother right where her heart should be. _

Tsubaki shot out of the bed breathing heavily and her eyes wide open. She was drenched in cold sweat and her heart was beating quickly.

_'It's okay, Tsubaki. Calm down'_, she comforted herself. Once she got her pulse back to normal, she looked at the clock and saw that it was only six in the morning. She got out of bed and headed for a long shower. She did not know how much time she spent under the hot water but soon Kyoya banged on the door.

"Nee-chan, it's a miracle that you got up so early but that doesn't mean that you can spend over 45 minutes in the bathroom! Get out now or I won't make you any breakfast", he called to her.

"Get the pancakes ready, little brother! I'll be downstairs in 15 minutes", she answered loudly.

The Kurosaki siblings got to school quite early and although Kyoya was happy about it, he felt that there was something wrong with his sister. Was it the nightmare again?

"Kyo-kun!" a voice called out to him. He turned to the source and found a girl from his class skipping in his direction. "Say, can we have lunch together today?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Yes, of course!" Kyoya replied with a similar smile and once the girl left, he sighed and then frowned when Tsubaki began to laugh.

"What?" he snapped.

"Kyo-kun, you're so cute!" she teased before bursting into laughter again.

"Shut up, Nee-chan! I'm going", he said and left her with a huff.

Tsubaki headed to class. She was wondering what would Haru do to poor Shizuku.

It's been a month since he came back to school and he was still getting into fights. On top of that, he kept following Shizuku around and Tsubaki could not help but tag along to see what would Haru do next. Although the raven haired boy annoyed Shizuku, Tsubaki was amused by his antics and childish ways.

"Shizuku, where are you going?" Haru asked when the brown haired girl picked up her bag.

"To the gym", she replied expressionlessly.

"So it's come to this", Haru said softly with a shy and embarrassed look while he loosened his tie and belt.

In a flash, he was bare torso with his belt in hand. Everyone froze in place, staring at him. And his pants pooled down around his ankles.

The whole class shook from the screams that erupted and Tsubaki was the only one who was laughing like mad. It was the first time in two years that someone other than Kyoya had made her laugh and it felt good. She was bent double from laughing so hard while her classmates shouted at the naked Yoshida.

"What do you think you are doing?!"

"What? But Mi-chan said that..."

"And why is Kurosaki-san laughing instead of screaming?!"

Everyone went silent except the girl who laughed even harder, if that was possible, considering that she was rolling on the floor.

The class erupted into another screaming frenzy.

Later on, Haru pestered Shizuku about going with him to Monja. It went on for quite some time but Shizuku always refused, saying that she had to study.

"Hurricane! Please help me", the boy pleaded with a pout. He was the only one to still call her by that nickname. Tsubaki found the face he made adorable but she shook her head.

"Shizuku can make up her own mind. If she doesn't want to go then I can't force her", she replied and relaxed in her seat. Shizuku sent her a quick thankful glance which Tsubaki accepted with a nod.

"But Hurricane -"

"Shut up. You're annoying".

"Shizuku! Hurricane said that I am -"

"I heard what she said. I'm not deaf".

"But Shizuku -"

"Stop talking in that annoying voice and let me work".

Tsubaki watched the amusing exchange between the two of them and somewhere in her mind, she was sure that the two of them would develop something for each other.

The three of us were in an outside corridor when Saeko-sensei came. "Ah, Mizutani-san and Kurosaki-san", she greeted. She jumped out of her skin when she noticed Haru sitting on the railing.

"What are you looking at?" he questioned as he got down.

Shizuku placed a hand on his back and said, "No need to intimidate her".

"I don't like you. Get lost", Haru continued.

"You should join her", Shizuku added in a lower tone, tired of the grey-eyed boy.

The latter turned to her and held her by her collar. They glared at each other while Saeko-sensei tried to stop them. Tsubaki sighed, enjoying the little scene.

"Yo-Yoshida-kun, you're supposed to handle girls gently", the young teacher explained, afraid of the taller student. "I'll lend you my favorite book, okay? Now, get along", she added, gave Haru a book and left the three students alone.

Haru opened the book on a random page and began reading, "That was when his placed his arms around me in a gentle embrace, and my heart began to pound..."

When Tsubaki saw how his gaze slid from the book to the shorter girl in front of him, she silently left them to themselves.

At the end of school, Shizuku said that she would stay back to study and Haru decided to stay with her. "I'm going then", said Tsubaki. "I need to go to my part-time job".

**-Next day- **

Tsubaki leant against the fence while Shizuku kicked it repeatedly in frustration.

"Why am I so upset?!" she said out loud. She then clamed down and added, "I should study".

"You should study, yes", Tsubaki told her. "But don't ignore those around you".

The redhead left the girl to her thoughts. Shizuku went back only moments later.

_'No, I should concentrate on my studies. Others don't matter to me'_, she thought.

Suddenly a hand reached out and pulled her.

**-In class- **

_'It's been a while since I left Shizuku down there'_, Tsubaki thought worriedly when the girl did not come back. She glanced at Haru who caught on to her worry.

He looked at a pretty girl sitting in front with a laptop and asked, "Hey, where's Shizuku?"

The poor girl jumped out of her skin and she turned around, frightened by Yoshida. "I-I don't know", she replied.

"Oh, I saw her a second ago", answered a boy whose hair spiked at the back. Haru stood up with a determined look.

"Get her back, Romeo!" Tsubaki called after him. He stopped right where he was and looked at her, blushing slightly. He then nodded and broke out into a run.

Later on, Tsubaki was surprised that Haru and Shizuku were not talking to each other. A fight maybe? Once again, Shizuku stayed back after school, Haru went to the batting center and Tsubaki went to work.

That was the beginning of what the Kurosaki found to be a tensed silence between them. Mid-year exams came by in a flash and on the day the results were out, Shizuku was surprised to find that she came out first. Tsubaki found herself in 12th place.

_'Not bad'_, she thought.

"Congrats, Shizuku", she said with a nod. "But what's with the long face?"

"Haru's name is not there", she replied in a slight daze.

"Come on, let's go see the guy", Tsubaki said and pulled her friend along with her. She sent a text message to Kyoya telling him to go home without her. The two girls went to Mitsuyoshi's batting center where they found Haru sitting there.

"Yo, Miysuyoshi-san", Tsubaki greeted as she approached the man.

Shizuku showed Haru her results and said in a monotone voice, "I came out first".

"Do you hate me so much that you want to rub it in my face?" asked Haru with a frown.

Shizuku lowered her gaze to the ground and replied, "I don't hate you, Haru. I forgot to thank you for saving me at that time".

Haru was kind of awed by the smile on Mizutani's face.

"And love starts to bloom", Tsubaki mumbled under her breath, smiling softly.

"You think?" Mitsuyoshi asked curiously. Tsubaki nodded and said goodbye to the three of them.

During the next few days, things went back to normal between Shizuku and Haru. Shizuku even agreed to accompany Haru to Monja and on the way, she was surprised by a sudden kiss from the boy. A kiss which was kept between themselves.

Their own little secret.

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**Author's note: Wow... Three chapters in a day! But I'm bored... I mean, I want Yuuzan to get in the story quickly! You know what? I think I'm going to do a time skip and get him in here in the next chapter itself. Reviews would be much appreciated and I hope that you're enjoying the story and not getting bored like me :P **

**~IcedLady~**


	4. Who is he?

**Author's note: Here's the fourth chapter, my sweethearts! It came out later than expected because I had no access to the laptop... My sister was staying at my place for a few days and my niece got hold my my laptop. So yeah... :P **

**Disclaimer: I own only the Kurosaki family. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: _Who is he?_ **

Shizuku was sitting at her desk, studying silently in the noise around her. Previously, she could not concentrate on her studies in a noisy environment. But now, it became part of her monotone life. It started when Haru came back to school and kept following her around. Then, Tsubaki started tagging along with them because according to the redhead, Haru was the only one who could keep her entertained at school. Afterwards, Asako Natsume and Sasahara Sohei joined the little group.

Natsume was very pretty and if she was not spending her time with them, she was typing away on the small laptop that she always carried around. Shizuku always thought that she was like a balance between Natsume and Tsubaki in the looks department. Natsume was cute and somewhat childish, Tsubaki had sharp features and she did not mingle much, and Shizuku was like a mixture of both.

Shizuku stopped writing momentarily and looked up around her. Haru was sitting at his desk next to her, Sasahara had turned the chair which was in front of her around to sit while facing her, Tsubaki was leaning against Haru's table with her arms crossed over her chest, and Natsume kept moving/skipping around in between them. How they all came together to form this little circle of friends, she never knew. But somewhere in her heart, she was happy to be with them.

Haru stood up abruptly and stared at Tsubaki in surprise. "You have a brother at school?" he asked.

"That's what I said, dummy", replied the redhead.

"But Tsubaki-chan, you never introduced us to him!" Natsume added with a light frown.

Tsubaki looked at her uncertainly. "That's because I..."

"I know your brother", said Sasahara with his usual smile. "He is in the football club".

The red haired girl nodded. "That's right. Kyoya loves football and he is pretty good at it", she said.

The bell rang to announce the start of classes and everyone sat at their own places. The day went by slowly and after school hours, the five of them went to see the school's new pet, Nagoya the rooster.

"Seriously..." Tsubaki muttered as she watched Haru pampering the bird.

"I know how you feel", Shizuku said next to her, smiling slightly.

"Your feelings go much deeper though", the redhead teased. The brown haired girl looked at her questioningly and Tsubaki laughed.

"It's nothing to worry your pretty little head with", she said. "Anyway, I'll see you guys tomorrow. I have to go to Lacie's Café for my part-time job".

Tsubaki left, going straight to the café. After changing into her maid's uniform, she went out to the front to attend to the customers together with three other maids. Many of them were young people with whom she was acquainted as they were regular customers at Lacie's Café.

"Hello Tsubaki-chan! It's good to see you today", called out a woman at one of the small square tables.

"Ah, hello, Miho-san. It's nice to see you too", the redhead replied brightly as she went around the room picking up orders before heading to the kitchen.

"Tsubaki-chan, can you please clear table number 7?" asked one of the other waitresses. "I've got my hands full".

The high school girl nodded and she picked up the dirty dishes, wiped the table clean and pushed to chairs back in. She then rushed to the kitchen to get clean cutleries for the table. She hummed to the background music's tune while she attended the other tables. The front door opened and causing the little bell on top to ring.

Tsubaki turned around to welcome the person who entered. "Welcome to Lacie's Café", she greeted and then looked at the man from bottom to top. He was wearing high brown boots, red pants with the bottom tucked inside the boots and a light grey undershirt with a black shirt over it. However, when her gaze reached his face, her smile faded into surprise.

_'Grey eyes, messy black hair...and that face. Why does he look so much like Haru?' _

Tsubaki broke out of her thoughts when he shot her a smile.

And she felt her face heating up.

"Oh, hello there", he greeted with a slight smirk.

"Ah", said the blushing redhead. "Um, so yeah. Please follow me".

She led him to a table close to a wall and once he was seated, she presented him the menu card. "Please take a seat and take your time to choose what you would like to have", she told him.

"Thank you", he replied with the same smile.

Tsubaki left his table and headed to another, her mind on the raven haired young man. She was sure that he was related to Haru, one way or another. One of the waitresses came closer to her.

"Who's the handsome guy?" she asked with a silly grin.

"I don't know", Tsubaki replied. "But I think that he's related to someone that I know".

"Oh. Say, do you want me to play match-maker for you and him?" her friend asked with an excited look. "It would be amazing!"

"No", the redhead replied firmly. "I'm happy to be single and I plan on staying so".

"You're no fun!"

"I know", ended Tsubaki and she glanced towards the boy resembling Haru. The latter signaled her by raising his hand half-way and giving a small wave. She nodded and headed towards him. Once she took his order, she went in the kitchen and came back a few seconds later. It was another waitress who brought him his cake and tea.

The soft music changed to one with catchy beats and Tsubaki could not help but dance around a little as she continued to work.

"He's staring at you", the waitress from earlier said and giggled when Tsubaki spun her around, humming a tune. Bright blue eyes sneaked a glance towards the raven haired boy and indeed, he was staring at her with a small smile. Blood rushed into her face and she turned away.

**-Later-**

At seven o'clock, when her shift was over, Tsubaki changed back into her school uniform and she left through the back door after having said goodbye. She froze in her steps when a shadow loomed in front of her. The person chuckled and then slowly walked into the light.

It was the boy who looked like Haru.

He approached her with an easy smile and stopped in front of her. Tsubaki had to lift her head to look at his face. A light frown appeared on her face and she backed away slightly.

"What do you want?" she asked in a snappish tone.

His smile grew brighter and he lifted his hand towards her. The young girl growled low in her throat as his hand came closer to her face but the growling stopped and her eyes widened when he slipped his fingers through her red hair. He pulled lightly on the shorter locks which framed her face, winding it around his long fingers.

"Such a beautiful color", he said in a very soft voice. "Is it natural?"

Tsubaki instinctively slapped his hand away and she frowned at him. "I don't like it when strangers touch me", she said darkly. She expected him to huff and walk away but he surprised her by laughing.

"You're a funny person, you know?" he said in a lazy tone.

"Oh really", she mumbled under her breath and walked past him.

"Goodnight, Fireball", he said good-naturedly. Tsubaki stopped and turned around with one eyebrow raised.

"Seriously?" she deadpanned. "Was that the best you could come up with?"

"Then tell me your name", he answered with a smirk.

"My identity has nothing to do with you. Goodbye", Tsubaki ended and she walked away quickly.

"See you again some other day, Fireball", he called to her. The red haired girl neither answered nor did she turn around.

However, a small smile graced her lips.

_'That guy...he's interesting. But who is he?'_

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**Author's note: Finally! But I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, though. Anyway, at least Tsubaki met Yuuzan...even if she doesn't really know who he is yet :P So, reviews are most welcome! **

**~IcedLady~**


	5. So your name is Yuuzan

**Author's note: Okay, here is the next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TNK-K, only the Kurosaki family. **

**Chapter 5: _So your name is__ Yuuzan._**

For the final exam scores, everyone was surprised that Haru came out first with Shizuku in second place. Sasahara got a good result as well as Tsubaki. Only Natsume had to take make-up classes due to her poor marks. During the last days of school, Haru stopped glaring at everyone and everything (thanks to Shizuku) and instead, he smiled and was nice to everyone. This, of course, caused several girls to fall for him.

Well, Haru was pretty handsome and he was being nice!

_The man forced Tsubaki down on her knees while keeping a tight grip on her hair and he roughly turned her around for her to look towards the horrific scene. _

_'You'll watch your parents die and then we'll kill you in the same way', said the man with a laugh. _

_Tsubaki gave a piercing scream when one of the man knifed her mother right where her heart should be. _

_'Akari!' yelled her father who was still trying to get away from his attackers. His wife fell down with a thud and he watched as the light in her usually bright grey eyes went out. He screamed and tears clouded his vision but he continued to fight the men. _

_Tsubaki was in shock. Her mother lied motionless in front of her with her hair spread like wild fire on the wooden floor. _

_Her mother could not be dead, right? _

_'Okaa-san', she called. When she got no answer, she continued calling out to the older woman but there was no response. _

_The young girl winced when the man behind her pulled her up by her hair, turned her so that they were facing each other and he slapped her hard. Tsubaki fell down and she placed her hand on her stinging cheek as she looked up at him with fearful eyes. A strange metallic taste filled her mouth and a slight trickle of blood appeared in the corner of her lips. _

_'Your mother is dead, Tsubaki love', he said in a gentle voice but there was something crazy in his dark eyes. He knelt down to her level and grabbed her chin, forcing her to make eye contact with him. _

_'Tsubaki!' _

_'Otou-san!' she cried. _

_'Get out of here!' her father yelled at her. _

_'No, she won't', replied the man who was holding her. 'She's going to die like her pathetic mother but I'm going to make her suffer much more'. _

_The redhead froze. _

_'Oh yes', continued the attacker with a sick grin. 'Seeing little girls in pain brings me great pleasure!' _

_Tsubaki screamed when a knife slashed down on her leg. _

"Nee-chan", called Kyoya.

Tsubaki looked up and found her younger brother staring at her strangely.

"What?"

"I was talking to you and you kind of spaced out", he replied. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, it's nothing", Tsubaki said and looked down into her cup of hot tea.

The blond boy sighed and placed his hand on the redhead's hand which was on the table. "You don't have to keep everything to yourself. I'm here with you", he reminded her. "There's only the two of us now and we have to trust each other. You don't want to tell me anything, fine. But I don't want you to go through this hell anymore. You've hurt yourself enough, Tsubaki-nee. Stop reliving those moments".

Two sets of blue eyes stared at each other. Tsubaki then unexpectedly pulled her brother forward and she rested her forehead against his with her hand at the back of his neck.

"I cannot let go, Kyoya", she replied softly. "It is what pushes me to be a good sister to you. As the elder sibling, I have to look after you, protect you and fight for you, but without reminding myself what happened to Okaa-san and Otou-san I will not be able to be the sibling on whom you can depend. But you know, the way it is now is the reverse of how I pictured things. I'm the older one and yet you act like you're the older one. I'm the one having nightmares and ending up crying afterwards during most nights while you're the one who comforts and baby me. It's the opposite of how it should be".

Kyoya chuckled and he placed his hand on top of her head. "It doesn't matter who acts like who or who takes the leading role. I like caring for you as if you're the younger one and I also don't mind babying you when you need to be comforted or when you're scared. The most important thing is that we are holding on to each other and I would give anything not to let go of you".

"I'm never letting go either, little brother", added Tsubaki with a small smile.

"But right now we really need to let go of each other or we won't get to school in time", said Kyoya as he pulled back and picked up his bag. "Hurry up, Nee-chan!"

"Great way to ruin the moment", muttered the redhead and she downed her tea in one go.

As a result of a bet between Haru and Shizuku (though it was one-sided), their small group along with Mitsuyoshi and Kyoya spent a day at a river.

"Asako Natsume diving from way up here", announced the pretty girl before jumping from the top of a huge rock and she dived into the clear and calm water.

"Yoshida Haru is next, diving from up here too", said the raven haired boy and jumped into the water.

"And here comes Kurosaki Kyoya!" yelled the younger boy and he did a somersault in his jump.

Meanwhile, Mi-chan was teaching Shizuku and Sasahara how to fish, and Tsubaki was sitting on some rocks with her feet in the cool water. She watched one group playing in the water while the other fished for food. Haru caught quite a lot of fish while swimming.

Later on, the little group was sitting around a fire where they were grilling the fish they caught.

"So Mi-chan-san and Haru-kun are cousins?" said an amazed Natsume.

"That's right", answered Mi-chan. "His dad is my mom's older brother. Since my place is close to the high school, I'm looking after him starting this year".

"Did you know that, Mitty?"

"No, I had no idea", replied Shizuku.

"And you, Tsubaki-chan?"

"I had my doubts", said the redhead.

"I thought you were brothers", continued Natsume.

"Nope, but he has an older brother", replied Mitsuyoshi with a laugh. "That brother of his is -"

"Mi-chan", interrupted Haru sternlywithout looking up. "You're talking too much".

Everyone stared at him with surprise while he ate silently.

_'Brother? Then perhaps the guy I saw at the café was really Haru's brother. I want to ask Haru about this but he seems reluctant to speak about his family'_, thought Tsubaki.

On the way back home, Haru and Kyoya fell asleep in the backseat. Shizuku woke Yoshida up and at Tsubaki's request, she also woke the younger blond haired boy.

"Why don't you all go wait inside?" suggested Mi-chan. The group of teenagers agreed and they went up the stairs to the batting center, with Haru leading.

"I just started an online community", said Natsume but she stopped talking when Haru jumped down the stairs and he ran to the outside hastily.

"Haru-san?" Kyoya called curiously. He then turned to his sister, "What happened to him?"

Tsubaki had not even heard the younger Kurosaki and she was staring at something up the stairs, her blue eyes wide open with surprise and recognition.

Not something. Someone.

"That hurts", said a male voice. A boy appeared with a watermelon in hands and the high school students immediately saw the resemblance he had with Haru. He was only slightly shorter than Haru and his hair was longer at the back as it fell in soft waves around his neck.

"It's you", murmured Tsubaki, recognizing him as the boy from the café. She caught a flash of amusement in his eyes when he glanced at them briefly.

"Running away the second he sees my face? He over-reacts to everything" he continued with his gaze averted to the side.

"S-Sasayan-kun!" exclaimed Natsume as she grabbed the boy's sleeve. "It's that guy! The one who took money from Mi-chan-san".

"Huh?" made Sasahara and Shizuku simultaneously.

"Hey!" called Mitsuyoshi who approached the group. "Haru just came flying out of the door..." he trailed off at the sight of the older Yoshida. "Oh".

"Hey, Mitsuyoshi", said the raven haired Yoshida. "They seem to think that I've been taking money from you".

**-Inside the batting center-**

"Haru-kun's big brother?" exclaimed Natsume.

"I'm Yoshida Yuuzan", greeted the grey eyed boy with a happy smile. "Thank you for putting up with Haru".

Shizuku, Sasahara and Natsume were sitting together on one side while only Yuuzan occupied the other sofa. Tsubaki was standing at the counter with Kyoya next to her.

_'So he really is Haru's brother. Yoshida Yuuzan'_, thought the red haired girl. She caught the smirk that Yuuzan sent her and she frowned lightly.

Mitsuyoshi had cut part of the watermelon that Yuuzan brought and he shared the fruit with everyone. "Yeah, this is the brother I was talking about", he said. "I was returning the money that I borrowed".

"Whaaat? You cut the watermelon?" said Yuuzan plaintively like a child. "I wanted to smash it open".

"No", Mi-chan replied unmoved. However, he gave Yuuzan the other half that he had not yet cut into smaller pieces to eat.

"Anyway, when did Haru make all these friends?" Yuuzan asked. "Is he doing okay?"

"You bet", replied Sasahara with his usual smile. "He started going to class because of Mizutani-san".

"I wouldn't say it's because of me", Shizuku told him.

"Because of you?" Yuuzan said before eating a spoonful of the watermelon.

"Well", continued the girl, "Tsubaki -"

"Don't drag me into this", interrupted the redhead without looking at them. "I have nothing to do with Haru's return".

"I see", said the elder Yoshida. "Haru can be an idiot but don't give up on him". He did not seem to be aware of the small black seed that was stuck at the corner of his mouth and Tsubaki could not help but smile at his 'innocence'.

Kyoya noticed the discreet smile and he raised an eyebrow. _'What is going on here?'_

"I was wondering", Natsume spoke up. "Why did Haru-kun run away?"

"Aaah! You mean earlier?" asked the raven haired boy. "That happens all the time. He's got a serious brother complex".

Sasahara, Natsume and Shizuku left soon after, saying goodbye to their other friends. Kyoya went in one of the batting cages to play for a while and Tsubaki sat on the empty couch, going through a magazine.

Yuuzan came back inside after saying goodbye to Shizuku.

"So your name is Tsubaki", started the elder Yoshida.

"So your name is Yuuzan", imitated the girl while looking through the articles.

Yuuzan smiled brightly and said, "You never answered my question the other day".

Tsubaki stopped reading, looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What question?"

The older boy placed an arm over the back of the sofa and grinned widely. "About your hair color. Is it natural?"

The redhead placed the magazine back on the table and she fingered a lock of her long hair. "Yeah it is. My mother too had red hair although hers was of a darker shade". A small smile played on her lips at her mother's memory.

"'Had'? Is your mother no more?"

The happy expression was wiped off of Tsubaki's face and she just stared at Yuuzan with shock.

_Tsubaki gave a piercing scream when one of the man knifed her mother right where her heart should be._

_'Akari!' yelled her father who was still trying to get away from his attackers. His wife fell down with a thud and he watched as the light in her usually bright grey eyes went out. He screamed and tears clouded his vision but he continued to fight the men._

_Tsubaki was in shock. Her mother lied motionless in front of her with her hair spread like wild fire on the wooden floor._

"…-chan! Tsubaki-nee!" Kyoya yelled. The girl snapped out of the haunting memory and stared at her younger brother who looked angry but at the same time worried.

"Why did you do that for?!" he scolded. "Why the hell did you go back to those memories?!"

Tsubaki stood up and walked to the door. "We're leaving, Kyoya", she said monotonously and turned slightly towards the other two persons in the room. "Goodbye Mitsuyoshi-san, Yuuzan-san".

"But Nee-chan!" the young blond haired boy called while going after the elder Kurosaki.

Yuuzan turned to his cousin and asked, "Is there something that I should know about them?"

"Since you are interested in the girl, then yeah", answered the older man and he told Yuuzan about the Kurosaki story.

"That's really upsetting", said the Yoshida boy with an upturned mouth which rapidly went back to grinning. "Well, all I have to do is to turn Tsubaki-chan back into a happy person!"

"What if she was always like she is now?" Mi-chan muttered under his breath and he lit up a cigarette.

On the way home, the Kurosaki siblings passed by Shizuku's house and when Tsubaki turned her head towards the house, she found the brunette and the raven-haired boy sitting outside with a smashed watermelon in front of them. The redhead smiled softly and she silently walked on. Kyoya could only wonder why was Tsubaki smiling all of a sudden since he did not see Shizuku and Haru together.

_'My sister is going crazy'.  
_

* * *

**Wow... It seems like not many people read TNK-K fanfics O.O **

**Zero favorite, zero reviews, zero followers... *Sniff sniff* It doesn't matter though :( I'll update this story to my heart's content and read it myself... **

**Sis: Forever alone much, kiddo? *smirk* **

**Me: Go awaaaaaaaaayyyyy! .**


	6. One small move

**Author's note: Googolplex, Meow, azurefiamma1017, Guest-chan and SugarIsMyDrug, thank you sincerely for the reviews. I was really very happy to see the response I got from this fanfic and to tell you the truth, you guys motivated me. I hope that you keep reviewing because seriously, this is driving me to write more. Thank you once again my lovely reviewers, as well as all my other readers! **

**Disclaimer: ..Isn't this getting tiring? TNK-K is not mine.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 6: _One small move._ **

It was the start of the second term and for once, the Kurosaki siblings were not late. Kyoya had made it a point to wake Tsubaki on time even if she destroyed an alarm clock every one or two days.

"Kyo-kun! How are you? Did you enjoy the summer break?"

"Ah, Kyo-kun! I wasn't able to contact you during the holidays. Where were you?"

"Good morning, Kyo-kun! It feels such a long time since I last saw you!"

Kyoya waved to the group of girls hesitatingly before turning to his older sister. "Nee-chan, how do I get these girls to stay away from me?" he asked almost plaintively.

Tsubaki patted his back and she smirked. "Go along now, Kyoya. You have a lot to catch up with your _friends_", she teased.

"Nee-chan!"

"Kyaa~! Tsubaki-nee-san gave her approval!"

Kyoya shot the redhead a dirty look and he plastered a wide smile on his face as he joined the girls.

When Tsubaki turned around, she found Shizuku walking through the outside corridor to get inside and Haru also was outside with Nagoya the rooster.

"Good morning, Haru", Shizuku greeted without looking up from her book. The raven-haired boy turned towards her with a bright smile, "Yo, Shizuku!"

"You're early", noticed the brunette as she continued walking.

"I came here at six", confirmed Haru with Nagoya in his arms. "I woke up when I realised that I get to see you everyday now".

Every single person around stopped dead in their tracks. Tsubaki too stood frozen but there was an amused look on her face. Shizuku turned to face Haru in a robotic manner and her face was glowing bright red.

"You never picked the phone in the summer break", Haru continued, oblivious to the stares.

And then came the little whispers around.

"Is he hitting on her?"

"So casually?"

"He doesn't waste time".

Strangely enough, Tsubaki found this moment to be adorable and she chuckled slightly to herself. _'What is going on with me? I'm not usually all happy-going in public'. _

**-In class- **

"Good morning", greeted Natsume. She looked slightly pale and there was a blush on her face. She coughed lightly.

"Are you sick, Natsume-san?" asked Shizuku monotonously.

"Yes, actually I have a fever but I forced myself to come to school", replied the sick girl.

"Really", said Shizuku as she continued doing her work. "Don't give it to me".

"Don't get me sick", added Haru.

"Try to keep it to yourself", said Sasahara.

"Poor you", Tsubaki simply said.

Natsume searched around in her bag and she took out a mask which she immediately wore so as not to contaminate her friends. Haru turned to talk to Shizuku while Sasahara started a conversation with the other two girls.

"I have the pictures from the fishing trip", he told them.

"Oh, let me see", said Natsume, her voice muffled by the mask.

Sasahara turned towards Haru and Shizuku to tell them about the pictures but when he saw what Shizuku was working on, he was surprised.

"Wait, that's second year stuff!" he exclaimed. "You're that far ahead, Mizutani-san?"

"I've been wondering", Shizuku said and she narrowed her brown eyes at the young Yoshida, "When do you even study, Haru?"

At the same time, Sasahara showed Natsume the pictures. Not knowing which conversation to follow, Tsubaki decided to take a look at the pictures.

"Aww, my eyes look weird in all of them", she commented. "And why are all these pictures of my swimsuit, Sasayan-kun?"

The baseball lover began to laugh. Indeed, Natsume's eyes looked strange in all the pictures and Tsubaki found one of herself and her little brother.

"Sasayan-kun", she called. "Can you give me copy of this one?"

"Sure", agreed the boy with a bright smile.

The teacher entered the classroom looking somewhat tired as she greeted the students. The classes went by peacefully with a few students sleeping (no surprise there) and Natsume was typing away on her mini laptop which she hid behind her book. Haru was mounting Heaven knows what with the lead used for his mechanical pencil and Shizuku was staring at him deep in thought.

_'How much is he willing to reveal? I don't get him'._

Whatever Haru was trying to do broke down and he whimpered softly in irritation.

The bell rang signaling the end of school and Tsubaki left the classroom after her friends. However, as she approached the gate where she usually waits for Kyoya there was a group of girls surrounding someone.

"He looks so cool!"

"Wait, who is he?"

"Is he waiting for someone? Go talk to him!"

"No, you talk to him".

Tsubaki came closer where Haru and Shizuku stood frozen and once the mysterious person came into view, she froze as well.

_'What the hell is he doing here?' _

There, leaning against the wall was Yuuzan. He lifted his head in an almost sweet manner and many girls squealed around him. He looked towards the three friends and a smile immediately graced his lips.

"Shizuku-chan! Tsubaki!" he called and he walked towards them. Tsubaki raised an eyebrow at the missing honorific when he said her name but she casted it aside as a mistake. When both girls turned to look at Haru, the latter had disappeared from sight.

"I'm so glad I caught you", said Yuuzan with a bright smile. "I was almost going to leave. People were staring at me".

"Where are you going, Haru's big brother?" Shizuku asked in her usual monotonous tone, Her red-haired friend was amused. _' 'Haru's big brother'? This is a first'. _

"Just call me Yuuzan".

"If you're looking for Haru, he disappeared just a moment ago", informed the brunette and she gave a quick bow while saying goodbye.

"I'll see you guys later", Tsubaki suddenly said as she noticed her brother approaching. "Kyoya's here".

The next thing that happened was shocking. Well, for the red-haired Kurosaki at least.

Yuuzan turned to Shizuku telling her to hold on and at the same time, he reached out towards Tsubaki. He took hold of her wrist but did not pay her any attention. Shizuku either ignored the display or she was oblivious to it. On the other hand, Tsubaki could swear that her face was a brighter red than her hair. She glanced towards the younger Kurosaki and she was surprised at the frown on his face.

"Today, I'm here to talk to you", the elder Yoshida said to Shizuku.

"Then can you let go of my hand?" Tsubaki asked with annoyance creeping in her voice despite the blush on her face.

"Ah, Tsubaki", he said softly and in a flash, he pulled the shorter girl close to him.

Two sets of ice blue eyes widened when Yuuzan actually kissed Tsubaki's forehead.

**_'What the HELL_****_?!'_**

"You are to accompany us as well", he said with his nose buried in the mass of red hair. He took in her scent and relished the feeling of having her so close. Yuuzan felt each of her shaking breath on his neck and with him holding her wrist, he noticed how her pulse quickened at his touch as if racing against time.

Tsubaki's thoughts was in a mess. She could neither figure out what was exactly happening nor calm down enough to take in her surroundings. All she could feel was her skin burning where Yuuzan was touching her but her forehead burnt the most. His lips was still pressed against her forehead and his breath was feathery.

"Nee-chan", called a voice from behind the raven-haired boy. The latter let go of her and Tsubaki pulled back and turned her gaze towards Kyoya who was glaring at Yuuzan as if wishing to kill him on the spot. The blond boy noticed the change in Tsubaki's attitude. For the first time in years, he saw her flustered and at a loss of words.

Kyoya shot Yuuzan a dark glare and he threatened, "You hurt my sister and I'll tear you apart in bloody pieces".

"Kyoya!" Tsubaki said scoldingly.

But Yuuzan laughed it off and he nodded to the younger boy. "I'll take care of her and proect her just like you would", he confirmed.

Shizuku smiled at what Yuuzan was implying._'So he does have a thing for Tsubaki'. _

Still, it was kind of funny how she was not aware of deep Haru's feelings ran for her but she saw Yuuzan's feelings for tsubaki.

"I'll see you tonight", Kyoya ended with a nod at Tsubaki who returned the gesture.

"Shall we go?" Yuuzan said pleasantly. Both girls nodded, although one more stiffly than the other.

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**Author's note: Tada! I really like this chapter, it's so cute! ^_^ **

**Anyway, thank you again to all those who reviewed and I'm going to do my best for this story now that I know there are wonderful people out there reading it. Byebye! **

**~IcedLady~ **


	7. His promise

**Disclaimer: TNK-K's not mine.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 7: _His promise._ **

Tsubaki stared at the can of soft drink in her hand as she walked behind Shizuku. Yuuzan was in front of the brunette, leading the way to God knows where. After what had happened at school, the young Kurosaki had preferred to keep a decent distance with the raven haired boy. And there she was, following him and Shizuku at a lazy pace.

"In Japan, we have a tradition", started Yuuzan, "Of paying close attention to the seasons. I believe that tradition is embodied in the sweets we make".

_'Sweets?' _

"You know how they say that you can taste the seasons changing?" he continued. "For example, I like desserts like cake with plenty of whipped cream and tarts, but in the summer I prefer mousse and gelatine. They look a lot cooler".

The three of them reached a zebra crossing and while waiting for the little man to turn green, Tsubaki glanced at her two friends. Shizuku looked completely uninterested in what Yuuzan was talking about and she continued to sip her drink. Yuuzan, though, had an adorable look on his face. He was like a child who came back home from the day-care and related every exciting little things that happened to his mother. In that sense, he was just like a child and not the grown up he was.

"Speaking of cool treats, I've had it only once but I still remember it. It's a traditional Turkish pastry called Baklava. Pie crust covered in lots of syrup! When you take a bite, it just melts in your mouth! All that talk about sweets is making me crave some!"

They stopped walking and Tsubaki hung back. She kept her distance but she was still within earshot.

"You're making me sick", Shizuku finally said bluntly. "Didn't you want to talk about Haru?"

"Right, Haru!" agreed Yuuzan and he turned to face the short girl with his hands deep in his pockets. "Haru always says that he doesn't like sweets. Yeah, I can't hold myself back".

He looked towards the Kurosaki Hurricane and he was pleasantly surprised to find that she was smiling at him. "Can you girls wait here? I need to go buy something sweet! I'll be back soon".

He shot a smile at Tsubaki who only blinked at him and he walked away. "It won't be long until he finds us", he mumbled under his breath.

**-Somewhere- **

Haru was running as fast as he could with a huge frown on his face. His older brother had just sent him a selfie of himself with Shizuku in the background. There was also a message sent together with the picture: _This is your brother. I'm having a drink with Shizuku-chan. Isn't the weather lovely today? Can you guess where we are? _

"Damn!" Haru yelled in anger and he skidded to a stop on a bridge. "Where the hell are you?! How am I supposed to know?!"

**-Back to Yuuzan, Shizuku and Tsubaki- **

Yuuzan was not back yet and Shizuku was sitting on the left side of a bench with Tsubaki at the other end. The latter was staring at her fingerless glove as she flexed her fingers and the brunette was deep in thought. _'I wonder what Haru's big brother is up to. Did he just want to talk about sweets?'_

"Sorry I was gone for so long", announced Yuuzan with his usual bright smile as he appeared with a box of doughnuts in his hands. "I had to wait in line".

He sat down between the two girls and he opened the box like a child opening his Christmas present. "I've always wanted to try the doughnuts here", he said eagerly. "We don't have one where I live".

The young Yoshida offered one to Shizuku who accepted it with no fuss and then he turned to the red head on his other side while offering a doughnut, "Tsubaki, here".

The girl took it silently. _'He missed the honorific in my name again. What is going on in his mind?' _

The three of them ate the sweets in silence until Shizuku broke it, "So, about Haru..."

"Oh right", Yuuzan said and he sheepishly added, "Sorry for taking up so much of your time".

He bit into a doughnut, turned fully towards Shizuku and asked, "Are you Haru's girlfriend?"

"I'm interested to know!" Tsubaki piped up suddenly. She saw the telltale of a blush on her friend's face as she denied what she was being asked and the blue-eyed girl scoffed in response before continuing to eat.

"What? You're not in love with each other?" asked Yuuzan with clear surprise on his handsome face. "But you're together all the time. Are you sure?"

There was a short silence as Shizuku formulated her answer. "I told him I loved him, but he said he didn't feel the same way".

"You did?" Yuuzan said and he took another bite. "So what did Haru say?"

"He loved me but it wasn't the same kind of love. So I'll wait for him to fall in love with me before saying it again".

Next to them, Tsubaki facepalmed._'She's dense! And Haru's even worse'. _

Yuuzan licked his finger while eyeing Shizuku and then he chuckled. "Well, I know what it probably is. He cares so much about you that he's scared of losing you or something", he explained cheerfully. He patted the girl's shoulder comically and added reassuringly, "It happens all the time! All the time! Good luck! Also, you have weird taste".

Tsubaki's reaction to this was a slow raise of her eyebrow.

"So, let's get down to business", the grey-eyed boy said as he took yet another doughnut. "I need Haru to quit school and come back home".

Shizuku was shocked as well as Tsubaki. Haru quit school? This was not happening!

Yuuzan stood up and walked towards the rail, leaning against it. "You know that Haru is living with Mitsuyoshi right now, right?"

"Oh? Uh, yes", replied Shizuku, shaken by what Yuuzan said.

"Our dad is pretty strict", he explained. "He kicked Haru out of the house before he started middle school. He was a pretty big troublemaker". He paused momentarily to eat the chocolate doughnut and then continued with a distant smile on his face, "I don't know why Dad's changed his mind but he wants Haru to move back in all of a sudden".

Shizuku lowered her gaze to her hands and Yuuzan turned around to face the two girls, "So I was sent to convince him to return. Haru hates both of us, so I can't get close enough to talk to him".

By now, Tsubaki contented herself with listening only instead of voicing out. She wanted Shizuku to figure this out by herself and she already felt as if her presence was being ignored by the other two persons.

Shizuku was nervous. There was a weird sensation deep in her stomach and she felt like throwing up until it completely disappeared. She folded the paper in her hands to keep her fingers from twitching and then asked, "Has Haru said anything?"

"Based on what Mitsuyoshi said, Haru doesn't intend to return", he replied.

His expression took a complete turn when he imitated his younger brother, "'Screw that!' was his answer. Well, I can't do much about that anyways".

The boy kept his eyes on Shizuku who still had her gaze lowered to her lap. "So, there you go", he concluded. "I'm sure you'd be lonely if Haru went away, Shizuku-chan".

The troubled girl looked up at him and Yuuzan smiled. "So, would you help me?"

"Huh? I don't understand what you mean", she replied slowly. "Didn't you come here to take Haru back?"

"Yeah", he agreed, "But that's what our Dad wants. If you ask me, it'd be really inconvenient for Haru to move back in now".

"What?" asked Shizuku with plain surprise.

"If he comes back, we'll end up killing each other", the boy clarified with another smile that did not fit at all and then he laughed, followed by a sigh. "Dad and I gave up on him long ago, but now he's actually going to high school".

He took slow steps towards the brunette. "It sounds like there have been a few incidents but he's still going to class. Why is that?" He bent down at the waist to be on eye level with her and he pointed a finger right in front of her nose. "All because of you".

Tsubaki narrowed her blue eyes into slits at the sharp look in Yuuzan's gaze that was slightly obstructed by his long bangs.

"Haru won't leave school as long as you're there", he told her. "And that's the only way I can keep him here. What will you do, Shizuku-chan?"

Mizutani drank in everything that Yuuzan said without a word, staring in the deep grey pools.

Suddenly, a hand took hold of her collar from behind and the person pulled her at the back, away from Yuuzan, as they grabbed her bag and swung it at the elder Yoshida who immediately jumped backwards. Tsubaki reacted as well and she jumped off the bench, instantly at Yuuzan's side to face the attacker. However, her offensive stance slackened when she saw that it was Haru with a furious look on his face.

"Haru!" exclaimed Shizuku.

"Bastard!" he spat angrily. "What do you think you were doing, Yuuzan?!"

The older boy laughed good-naturedly. "Sorry, I saw you coming and couldn't resist", he admitted.

"You're twisted", Tsubaki told him bluntly.

Haru shot Shizuku a deadly glare and then turned to Tsubaki, "Hurricane? I didn't know you were here".

"Doesn't matter", she replied with a shrug.

"It's been a while since we last talked, Haru", said Yuuzan with a tilt of his head. "Are you doing okay?"

His brother glared at him and replied, "I don't know what you and Dad want but I'm not going back now! If you want to make me quit school, go ahead and try!"

Haru took hole of Shizuku's wrist and pulled her up. "Let's go, Shizuku, Hurricane".

"Haru", whispered Shizuku but she stopped him. "You should listen Yuuzan-san out. He said that he isn't here to take you back".

Haru turned around with still that furious look on his face. "What?!"

"Sorry, but I don't want you to quit school", she admitted and lowered her gaze to his shirt.

He was surprised by her words but the frown came back on his face. "I can't trust what he says", he told her.

Yuuzan laughed at that. "That was pretty mean-"

"You stay out of this!" Haru yelled.

"Now, now", Yuuzan continued, "You should listen when your girl asks you to do something. And I didn't want to say this but if you keep running away, she'll have to take your place. Like today".

Haru calmed down at that. "Fine, start talking. I'll listen. What do you want me to do?"

"It's very simple", said the shorter Yoshida as he closed his eyes and leant his back against the rail. "I just need you to promise me that you'll keep going to school".

"Huh?"

Yuuzan looked at Haru and explained, "Dad didn't think you'll start going to school. Now he wants you to quit so that he can enroll you in a school where he'll have more control over you. But if you've already learnt how to be a functioning member of the society, there's no need in forcing you to come home. I can convince Dad, Is this a deal?"

"Okay, I promise", said Haru seriously.

"There we go!" Yuuzan said, regaining his cheerful attitude.

Haru held Shizuku's hand gently and he pulled her along to leave. "Let's go", he told her. "Hurricane, come on".

Tsubaki, who was on the sidelines the whole time, walked towards her classmates but Yuuzan held her back by holding her gloved wrist.

"She'll be staying here with me for a while", Yuuzan said. Haru turned back on the spot with a deeper frown.

"She's not!"

"Haru", Tsubaki called. "I'll be fine", she said with a comforting smile. "You go ahead with Shizuku".

"A-Are you sure?" asked the brunette hesitatingly.

"Don't worry, Shizuku-chan", Yuuzan replied in the red head's place. "I'll even take her back home".

Haru nodded to Tsubaki and turned once again to leave. "Don't let me see your face again, Yuuzan", he added over his shoulder.

Tsubaki watched the two of them until they disappeared from sight and a nice breeze picked up, caressing her red locks. Her eyes flickered to the hand on her wrist and then up to the boy's face. She had to tilt her head up since she was a good five to six inches shorter than him. She took a small step back to put some distance between them and Yuuzan chuckled at her. He let go of her and went to sit on the bench. Tsubaki did the same, although she sat on the end of the bench.

"The other day at the batting center, I asked Mitsuyoshi about why you spaced out suddenly", he said casually. The girl snapped her head towards him and Yuuzan felt her piercing stare. "He told me about your past", he added.

A tense silence followed.

"Oh", Tsubaki breathed. She was not expecting this at all. Her heart was beating in an almost agonizing way and she concentrated on pushing the darkness back deep into her mind, where it belonged.

"I won't believe what people say, though", he told her and smiled. "I want you to tell me about it when you're ready".

Tsubaki shot up from her seat. "If you held me back just to talk about this, then forgot it. I'm not breathing out a word", she told him coldly and turned to leave. Once again, he stopped her but this time, his hold on her was stronger and more firm. She tried wrenching her hand out of his grip but in vain.

"I'm not done talking with you", he said gently but Tsubaki caught the underlying authoritative tone. His sharp gaze on her felt overbearing and she silently sat down again, closer to the boy due to his unbreakable hold on her. They were silent for a while, simply enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

"Why does Haru call you Hurricane?" Yuuzan asked with twinkles in his eyes.

Tsubaki smirked at the memory. "I was like a hurricane when I was younger", she said, using a proud tone. "I would cause a mess wherever I went, destroyed anything that annoyed me and I was like a knight in shining armor for the weaker students. One day when a teacher was scolding me for trashing a classroom all by myself -don't ask how I did that- he told me that I was like a hurricane beyond everyone's control. Some students heard him and hence the nickname Kurosaki Hurricane".

"So you consider yourself to be strong", the older boy questioned, more like stated, with a smirk.

Tsubaki shrugged, "I guess. It was easy to beat up the bullies at school".

"Then how come you haven't succeeded in making me let go of you?"

Yuuzan held up their hands with a Cheshire-like smile. His smile widened even more when a blush crept up the girl's face and she avoided looking into his eyes in an adorable manner.

"W-We're grown up now", she stuttered and the red on her face darkened. "O-Of course you'll be physically s-stronger than me!"

Yuuzan laughed and he let go of her, watching as she placed her hand where his previously was.

"You're so cute when you're flustered", he told her with a lopsided grin.

"Don't say that!"

"Your hair is really long", he suddenly said and eyed the ponytail which stopped at her waist-line. "That reminds me", he added and fingered his bangs, "I need to get a haircut".

"Don't cut it", Tsubaki blurted without thinking.

"Oh?" Yuuzan looked at her but she stared off into the distance.

"I-It looks nice like this", she justified softly and lowered her gaze to her lap. A squeak escaped her when she was pulled into a side hug.

"If Tsubaki says so!" chirped Yuuzan happily.

It was not long before they stood up to go home and as he had told Shizuku, Yuuzan accompanied Tsubaki to her place. The red haired teenager stood in front of the gate, opened it but she did not go in yet. She looked at the taller boy and smiled softly. "Thanks for taking me back home", she said sincerely.

"Anytime!" Yuuzan said and then his tone dropped into a more serious one, "I'm a new person to you but I'll protect you and hold you whenever you feel vulnerable or scared".

Stunned, Tsubaki watched his back until he turned round a corner.

Why did her heart skip a beat?

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**Author's note: Okay, I'm feeling proud of myself. Two chapters in one day! Say, is the relationship between Yuuzan and Tsubaki going too fast? Please tell me if it is! Thanks everyone! :D **

**~IcedLady~**


	8. Her eyes flutter open

**Author's note: I have been told that Yuuzan actually has an awkward personality around women. I'm sorry for not considering it in the previous chapters because I was not aware of this fact. Anyway! I'll try to squeeze it in somewhere in the story :D **

**Disclaimer: TNK-K not mine. Kurosaki family mine. **

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**Chapter 8: _Her eyes flutter open._ **

Shizuku was on her way to school and there was a book in her hands. She peacefully reading it when suddenly Haru appeared on a wall, successfully making her flinch away.

"Yo, Shizuku!" greeted the energetic boy.

"Haru", she acknowledge.

Natsume soon joined them with a mask still on her face due to her illness and Tsubaki appeared from behind with Kyoya by her side. The five friends entered the school compound and as they passed by the baseball field, they greeted Sasahara who was practicing.

The Kurosaki siblings were leading the way with Haru and Natsume behind them, and Shizuku was behind all of them. She stared at her friends' backs, wondering when did she get used to seeing all of them together. She remembered the day Haru told her how he was afraid of her leaving him. At that time, she could not understand the feelings behind his words but now she felt them running through her veins.

She did not want to lose Haru.

Kyoya left them to join his fan-girls and four remaining friends were at the shoe lockers.

"Huh? Mitty, your face is red", Natsume said. "Were you thinking about something embarrassing? Or did you catch my cold?"

Shizuku flinched at her words but she did not reply. Haru was waiting for them a few feet away along with Tsubaki who was re-adjusting her glove. The latter turned to a raven haired girl who approached them with a small blush on her face.

"Yo-Yo-YOSHIDA-KUN!"

You know, that blush on the new girl's face? Well, it was nothing compared to her whole face that was now colored a very deep red. Tsubaki pursed her lips so as not to laugh and she silently watched as the newbie slapped her hand over her mouth embarrassingly. Shizuku and Natsume turned to look at what was happening.

Haru smiled at her. "Hey, Class Rep".

"U-Um, so", she stuttered and then looked up at the raven haired Yoshida. "Thank you for defending me on Sports Day! I m-missed my chance to thank you yesterday. Sorry it took me this long", she ended with a bow.

"Okay", Haru simply replied.

The newbie looked at him again with admiration in her eyes.

_'She crushed on Haru?'_ thought Tsubaki curiously. She sneaked a glance at Shizuku who walked to them with a blank face, Natsume trailing behing her. However, Shizuku looked at the newbie as she passed by them and Tsubaki could swear that Shizuku had surprise clear in her eyes mixed with some jealousy.

_'Oh my...' _

**-After school-**

Tsubaki headed to Lacie's Café for her part-time job and she was surprisingly disappointed when she did not see Yuuzan there. Still, she went on with her job as though nothing was wrong and time flew by pretty quickly. She changed back into her uniform and went out through the back-door.

Imagine her face when she saw Yuuzan leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Her eyes were wide open, her jaw dropped open and she was blushing heavily.

"Hi, Tsubaki!" greeted the young man with his trademark smile.

"Uh, hi", the girl replied with less enthusiasm, although her heart was threatening to leap out of her chest.

As she had expected, Yuuzan accompanied her home but she was curious why he did not say anything along the way. Normally he would be talking all kind of nonsense about sweets but now, nothing. Tsubaki risked a glance at him and she raised one eyebrow slowly when she caught the pensive look on his face and there was a blush on his face.

Yuuzan blushing? Well, that was a first.

They walked together silently and they soon reached the Kurosaki residence where they separated after saying goodbye.

"He was here again", Kyoya shot as soon as his older sister stepped inside the house. The girl paused and then sighed, going into the kitchen.

"He accompanied me back home", she corrected as she skillfully chopped the vegetables while cooking the meat.

"You don't need him bringing you back! And why does he stick to you? Why not Shizuku-san or Natsume-san?"

"I don't know, Kyoya, but it's comforting with him by my side. At least I don't have to worry about creepers when I'm walking home".

"Are you in love with him?"

That single question felt like a bucket of freezing water emptied on her head on a cold winter day. Tsubaki froze and she stared at the now frying vegetables. She turned off the gas and slowly faced her younger brother. "Where the hell does this come from?"

"Are you in love with him or not?" Kyoya asked sternly.

Tsubaki felt herself shrinking under his sharp gaze and she saw the similarity it had with the look her father had whenever he was about to scold them. "I-I don't l-love him but there's this weird thing I feel whenever he's close by", she said tentatively as if testing the ground.

"Next time he brings you back, I'm having a talk with him", Kyoya decided and then left the kitchen.

Tsubaki continued preparing the food quietly. What came over Kyoya? Sure, he was protective but why was he so upset about Yuuzan?

Tsubaki gave a piercing scream when one of the man knifed her mother right where her heart should be.

_'Akari!' yelled her father who was still trying to get away from his attackers. His wife fell down with a thud and he watched as the light in her usually bright grey eyes went out. He screamed and tears clouded his vision but he continued to fight the men. _

_Tsubaki was in shock. Her mother lied motionless in front of her with her hair spread like wild fire on the wooden floor. _

_Her mother could not be dead, right? _

_'Okaa-san', she called. When she got no answer, she continued calling out to the older woman but there was no response. _

_The young girl winced when the man behind her pulled her up by her hair, turned her so that they were facing each other and he slapped her hard. Tsubaki fell down and she placed her hand on her stinging cheek as she looked up at him with fearful eyes. A strange metallic taste filled her mouth and a slight trickle of blood appeared in the corner of her lips. _

_'Your mother is dead, Tsubaki love', he said in a gentle voice but there was something crazy in his dark eyes. He knelt down to her level and grabbed her chin, forcing her to make eye contact with him. _

_'Tsubaki!' _

_'Otou-san!' she cried. _

_'Get out of here!' her father yelled at her. _

_'No, she won't', replied the man who was holding her. 'She's going to die like her pathetic mother but I'm going to make her suffer much more'. _

_The redhead froze. _

_'Oh yes', continued the attacker with a sick grin. 'Seeing little girls in pain brings me great pleasure!' _

_Tsubaki screamed when a knife slashed down on her leg. _

Tsubaki jolted awake with cold sweat drenching her whole body. She was shaking slightly and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. The moonlight was peaking from behind the curtains and the ghostly light fell on her bed and herself. Tsubaki brushed her bangs back and she brought her left hand in front of her, staring at it. She was not wearing her glove and her skin looked so pale in the moonlight. She slowly turned her hand over and tears gathered in her eyes when she saw the scar that was etched deep in her hand and in her mind as well.

There was her name, _Tsubaki_, messily carved on her skin and there was a slash through it. Tsubaki ran her fingers over the jagged scar and the tears rushed down her face. She did not notice the door opening and Kyoya entered her room, and he was hugging her in mere seconds.

The blond haired boy allowed his sister to cry silently in his shirt and he rubbed her back comfortingly. He had not heard her waking up but he always knew when Tsubaki was not fine. It was like a deep feeling in his stomach, a feeling that could not be brushed away easily. He felt a pull at his heart when Tsubaki began apologizing profusely, her voice muffled by his clothes and accompanied by the sobs.

"I'm so sorry! I'm the worst daughter ever. I watched them suffer and I didn't even lift a finger! I'm sorry, Kyoya. I just want to go back in time and help Okaa-san and Otou-san get out of that hell. I'm still as weak as I used to be! I could not protect them and even now I would not be able to do anything. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Then let me protect you", Kyoya replied softly. He had told her this small sentence countless times and he meant it each and every time. "Let me shield you from this nightmare and please let go of it".

Tsubaki shook her head but she did not answer. Her sobs slowly calmed down and before she could fall back asleep, Kyoya pushed her back onto her bed and he petted her head until he was sure that she was well sleeping.

Once in his room, Kyoya again tried to think of ways to make Tsubaki forget about the... murder of their parents and like all other times, nothing came to mind.

Yoshida Yuuzan.

His name jumped to mind and the blond boy made a plan.

**-At school-**

Tsubaki went to the bathroom and when she came back she was surprised to find Shizuku leaving the classroom with a rather depressed look. She approached Natsume and Sohei with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Mitty is not excited now that she has a rival", Natsume said.

"Maybe she's mad because you were teasing her?" Sohei pointed while eating.

"I agree with Sasayan", Tsubaki added and Natsume pouted.

Shizuku was walking in the hallway, left to her own thoughts. It was the first time that was she interested in something other than her studies and because of this, her scores were dropping. It alarmed her that she fell from first place to 29th place.

"Remind me what am I doing here?" Tsubaki asked and she crossed her arm over her chest while making herself more comfortable on her seat. Her little circle of friends and herself were in the library. Surprisingly, the raven-haired girl from before, who introduced herself as Oshima Chizuru was present too and she was either just too shy or she was embarrassed by Haru.

"Let's get this 'Circle of friends for the Class Rep' council started", said Yoshida who was pointing at a whiteboard behind him. Sasahara and Natsume clapped, Tsubaki had a bored look and Shizuku looked irritated.

"Why are you doing this here?" she mumbled with narrowed eyes.

"I-I'm sorry", Oshima said softly.

"But Mitty", Natsume stood up suddenly. "Oshima-san has no friends! Haven't you ever felt the pain?" By now, she was being plain dramatic and one could even hear the sad/suspense music in the background.

"When you feel like a stranger in your own classroom. When you have to hide in the restroom to eat lunch by yourself!"

Oshima was completely red in the face. Tsubaki could now confirm that she was embarrassed by the antics of Natsume and Haru.

"Whatever, I'm leaving", decided Shizuku as she packed up. It seems like she came to the library to work but that was rendered impossible with the new 'subject' at hand.

"What are you so upset about, Shizuku?" asked Haru and he plopped down in a chair. "Just ignore us and continue doing your work. That's your identity".

"I can't concentrate", Shizuku replied and Haru was as if bothered by the answer. Not in a bad way but more likely in curiosity. Normally Shizuku would ignore them but now, he could not understand what was wrong.

"Now, now", Natsume pacified. "Let it be and give her a hand".

"Why should I help?" countered the brunette.

Tsubaki sat straight in her chair, sensing the heavy atmosphere.

_'Oh shit'._

"If she is unhappy about her current situation, she should do something. If she can't, that's her problem".

"That was a spiteful thing to say, Shizuku", Haru said lazily although everyone caught the reprimanding tone in his voice. "I really hate that about you".

"Really? I'm disgusted by the self-righteous act you people put on".

"Eh?"

Oshima sunk in her chair and she felt the death glares being sent from the two persons.

And Shizuku left.

"I'm going after her", said Tsubaki and she left too. She silently followed the brunette who ignored her presence.

"Why are you following me? You could have stayed with the others".

"It was boring in there and Haru was not being an ass. So, no entertainment for me".

"How did it go between you and Yuuzan-san?"

The redhead stopped dead in her tracks. "Uh, what?"

Shizuku stopped too and she turned to face the other girl. "Is everything okay between you two? Why did he hold you back the other day?" she asked curiously, pushing her anger to the side for the moment.

"We only talked", Tsubaki replied slowly. "Petty things".

"Is it? Do you have feelings for him?"

Pale blue eyes widened. Kyoya had asked her the same thing on the previous day and now Shizuku. "I-I don't... Why would I -Wait. Does the... No".

"I see", said Shizuku with no change in her expression and not letting Tsubaki guess what she was thinking about. She turned to leave and then added over her shoulder, "You're a bad liar. Anyone would have noticed that you do have feelings for him".

Tsubaki stood there, stunned by what Shizuku told her. How could she have feelings for a guy and she herself did not know about it? Sure, her heart raced when he was nearby, her skin tingled whenever he touched her and she felt like melting under his gaze but that did not mean that she liked him as in more than friends, right?

RIGHT? ...Oh crap.

* * *

**Author's note: Say, did Shizuku seem out of character in the last part? There was no Yuuzan in this part but for the next chapter, there will be more of YuuzanTsubaki... I think? **

**~IcedLady~**


	9. They are both so different

**Disclaimer: Okay, last time I'm writing this part. TNK-K belongs to it's rightful owner(s) and I own only the Kurosaki family.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: _They are both so different._ **

"Haru-kun! Oshima-san!" called Natsume with a badminton in hand, the rest of her friends following her to the stairs where Haru and Oshima were sitting. "Want to join us?"

The two of them lowered their gaze at Shizuku's sharp stare. Still, they did join the little group. Natsume and Sasahara played badminton while Haru, Oshima, Shizuku and Tsubaki sat on a bench. Haru was on one side, Shizuku was on the other side, reading her book, and the two remaining girls were in the middle, Oshima sitting silently and Tsubaki drinking slowly from her bottle.

"Hey Shizuku", called Haru and Oshima flinched. "Tell me why you are ignoring me".

The girl closed her book and then replied, "Fine. When I'm with you, my chest hurts. I can't focus on studying, so I don't want to see your face".

Oshima blushed a deep red and Tsubaki spit the water she was drinking.

_'She is not aware that she loves him but she can tell what's going on with other people?!'_

"Shouldn't you go to the nurse's office?" asked Haru... Cue facepalm from Tsubaki.

"You've got it all wrong!" Oshima yelled and she stood up abruptly, facing the boy. "Th-That's not what Mizutani-san was trying to say! She wouldn't be hurting if she didn't care about you! Why don't you understand she was telling you that she's worried? That's why..! Do you... Do you... Have any balls?!"

By now, Natsume and Sasahara had stopped playing and were staring at her, Shizuku and Haru had a weirdly shocked expression on their faces and Tsubaki had jumped from her seat incredulously.

"I do, don't I Shizuku?!" Haru defended childishly.

"Don't ask me!"

And Oshima ran away, probably embarrassed by the whole thing.

"Haru-kun, you should go after her!" urged Natsume.

"What, me?"

"Yes, hurry!"

Once Haru also was gone, Tsubaki sat down again with her bottle sitting next to her. "This was weird", she mumbled under her breath.

**-Next morning- **

"Where are your fan-girls today?" teased Tsubaki as she entered the school ground. Kyoya sent her a dark glare and then replied, "Just thank the Heavens that they're not here, will you?"

Before the redhead could laugh, Kyoya pulled her by her collar behind a wall with a smile on his face. "Look in the open corridor", he told her softly.

When Tsubaki turned around, a wide smile appeared on her face. Haru and Shizuku were there and the brunette was actually smiling. She giggled when Haru blushed and he placed a hand over the lower half of his face to try and hide the blush.

"Finally, they took a step", Tsubaki said.

"You don't go taking one without me knowing, okay?" Kyoya said and he walked inside the building. Tsubaki stared after him and then uncharacteristically yelled, "We're not talking about me here! And would you stop about -"

She clamped her mouth shut when several students stared at her strangely. "Hi..." she said embarrassingly and then rushed to class.

**-At Misawa Batting Center- **

"A date?" questioned Natsume.

"Didn't they tell you? Haru left this morning to go on a date with Shizuku-chan", explained Mi-chan.

Sasahara, Natsume, Tsubaki and Kyoya were at the Batting Center where they normally met up with Haru and Shizuku. Yuuzan was present and he was leaning at the counter where Tsubaki usually stood, with what looked like money in his hands.

The elder Yoshida glanced at the younger teenagers and his gaze lingered slightly longer on the red haired girl before turning away.

Tsubaki was happy that Yuuzan was there, even if he took her place, but weirdly enough they were both wearing almost matching clothes. The raven haired boy was wearing brown shoes, black jeans, a grey shirt with a red cardigan over it and the upper layer of his hair was in a short ponytail. Tsubaki was wearing grey ankle boots, black jeans, her glove, a greyish blue shirt with a similar red cardigan that Yuuzan had on over it and she had folded the sleeves back up to her elbows. Her hair, for once, was left open and she had pinned her bangs back although some strands were stubborn on framing her face.

"When I called Mitty's home I was told that she went to study with Haru-kun", added Natsume and she came closer to the counter.

"I guess they're making progress", said Sohei with a grin. "I was starting to wonder since they act the same".

"Seriously, Haru should be ashamed. Shizuku-chan is the one confessing her love and asking him out on dates. I should give him a whipping", Mitsuyoshi said with a frown.

"Shizuku-chan is more aggressive than you think", Yuuzan told him, smiling as ever,

"Mitsuyoshi-san", called Kyoya. "I'm going to play".

"Yeah, sure", agreed the older man and the blond haired boy headed towards the batting cages.

"Now that I think about it", continued Mitsuyoshi as he turned towards Tsubaki, "If you did not tell me that he is your brother, I would have never found out".

Tsubaki laughed and she came closer to him, snatched the cigarette in his hands and placed it on the table since it was not lighted up. "Kyoya looks like a younger version of my father and he even took after him with the bossy attitude and all. I took after my mother except for my eye color which is the same as my father's", she replied.

"That's why you look so different!" exclaimed Natsume.

"I thought you were the bossy one", said Yuuzan. "I mean, you are the elder sibling".

"I may be the older one but Kyoya acts like I'm the younger one. Oh, you know how protective brothers can be".

"That's so cool!" chirped Natsume. "Having a brother to look after you like that!"

"Not always", contradicted the redhead. "At times it gets annoying when he is protective. It is then that I usually remind him that I am the elder sibling and I'm the one who's supposed to fuss over him and not the other way around".

"I can hear you, Nee-chan!" Kyoya yelled from the batting cage.

Tsubaki shrugged and then went to one of the vending machines to get a soda.

**-Later on- **

Mitsuyoshi was mopping the floor, Yuuzan was helping Sohei in his homework, Tsubaki and Kyoya were arguing over a mathematical problem that the younger Kurosaki was having difficulty with, and Natsume was sitting silently with her knees drawn to her chest. Mitsuyoshi stopped doing his work and he looked at her worriedly.

"Natsume-chan, is something wrong?" he asked. Everyone stopped their activities and looked over at the pretty girl.

"I had no idea", she said with a saddened look. "She didn't say a word about the confession or the date. Mitty never tells me anything".

"I have a feeling that Shizuku-chan does not usually ask other people for advice since she's never done it before", replied Mitsuyoshi, his cigarette dangling at the corner of his mouth. "It's not that she does not want to tell you about it but I'm sure she'll talk to you soon though. Love requires more than one person. She'll realize that she can't do everything alone and you'll be there for her when that happens".

By now, the older man was gently petting Natsume's head.

"Mitsuyoshi-san is right", added Tsubaki. "Shizuku is not one to reveal everything about herself. At least not now but she might do it in her own pace".

"It should be sooner rather than later", said Yuuzan as he opened a bag of potato chips. "They're probably running into a few bumps".

"Really? They looked like they could hook up at any time, considering how honest they both are", Sohei added.

"Honesty is not necessarily a virtue", Yuuzan told him. "Plus, Haru's a coward. He might run away when the time comes".

**-A few days later-**

The gang was once again at the batting center and everything was going peacefully even after Haru got angry when he found Yuuzan present.

"I thought I told you not to show me your face again!"

"You're so mean, Haru. I wonder where all your manners are".

"Cut it out!" scolded Tsubaki with a glare. "I don't want to hear your silly arguments and you're being loud".

"Thank you, Tsubaki-chan", Mitsuyoshi said softly with a sigh. Normally he was the one to break any fight between the two brothers.

"Yuuzan-san", Kyoya called with a sharp look in his bright blue eyes. "I need to talk to you privately, please".

"Oh? Okay then", replied Yuuzan as he stood up.

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes at her brother who stood up as well. "Kyoya, get that damn idea out of your head. You're thinking too much into it when there is nothing".

She nearly flinched at the glare she received. "Shut up. You are running away from what's in front of you. I really wish that you would stop doing that".

"I'm coming as well", Haru decided. "I don't trust Yuuzan to be alone with anyone".

She watched speechless as the three boys got out and she felt four pairs of eyes staring right through her. "See what I meant when his protectiveness gets annoying?" she mumbled and then closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves.

**-Outside-**

Kyoya, Haru and Yuuzan were out on the balcony, all of them leaning against the railing. At first they were silent. Yuuzan was actually waiting for the younger boy to start speaking, Kyoya was gathering his thoughts in an orderly manner and Haru was wondering what was going on.

"Do you like my sister?" Kyoya shot immediately.

He got no reply, not even a glance.

"Yuuzan-san, I don't understand what's going on between you and my sister. Are you simply friends or is there something else that I'm missing?" he explained. "Tsubaki-nee and I are very close to each other and we normally share everything with each other. But now she is not telling me anything about her feelings for you and I know that she does have romantic feelings for you. It's worrying me because I don't know whether she is happy or devastated inside. She always puts up a happy nature when I'm around so as not to worry me. I need you to tell me if you like my sister, please".

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Haru. "Yuuzan is hitting on Hurricane?"

He turned to his brother angrily, "You bastard!"

"Haru-san", called the blond haired boy. "Yuuzan-san is not _hitting_ on my sister. I feel that there is something going on between them, that's why I'm asking for clarification".

The raven haired elder Yoshida was quiet for a while and then he spoke up, "I find Tsubaki interesting. In her own ways she attracts my attention, even without doing anything extraordinary. I like her".

"Like as in friends or something more?"

"Women are snakes. You don't know when they might bite and poison you. Women cannot be trusted", Yuuzan said. "But like Shizuku-chan and Natsume-chan, Tsubaki is not like the others. These three are pure, not corrupted like most women".

"You did not answer my question".

"Tsubaki is different. I consider her to be my friend, just like Shizuku-chan and Natsume-chan. But still, there is more to her than she lets on and I'm curious about her true nature".

"Yuuzan!" Haru yelled, annoyed by indirect answers his brother was giving. "Do you like Hurricane or not?"

"Very much".

**-Inside- **

"Do you know what they are going to talk about?" asked Natsume curiously and Tsubaki blushed.

"It's about you and Yuuzan, isn't it?" added Shizuku.

"What?!" exclaimed the pretty Asako with wide eyes.

"You like him?" asked Sasahara in disbelief.

"I think I'll change the center's name to _Love Center_", teased Mitsuyoshi with a small smile. "Everyone seem to find love here".

"Not love!" Tsubaki defended. "I just... He-I mean, we... No, I-him... Oh, damn it all!"

"You like him", everyone chorused and deadpanned.

When the redhead did not deny it, Natsume squealed and clapped her hands. "This is so cute!"

"You have bad taste", commented Mi-chan. "What made you fall for him?"

"I don't know?" Tsubaki replied tentatively and she lowered her gaze shyly, which she realized was so not like her. "I mean, he's nice and he's... Well, he is different from other guys and he..."

"Okay, we get it", said Sohei with a laugh.

"Do you like him?" asked Shizuku who stared at the blue eyed girl. The latter felt Shizuku's gaze penetrating in her soul to find the answer to her question.

"Yeah".

* * *

**Author's note: I kind of rushed into this chapter, sorry. With the 'few days later' part, I kind of pushed the real story further away so that I could squeeze in this 'confess to your friends' bit. Was Yuuzan too OOC when he was talking to Kyoya and Haru? **

**Love you all! **

**~IcedLady~ **


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